‘Truly amazing’: Student-lottery winners see debate live

On the morning of Oct. 8, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) had given the University 105 tickets for students to enter the debate hall — the Athletic Complex’s Field House, where the actual debate was staged.

By the time the debate started, 183 students had received lottery tickets to witness the historic event — more than each of the two previous debates hosted by the University.

Student-lottery winners  — 183 of them in all — display their debate tickets. Being in the debate hall was
Student-lottery winners — 183 of them in all — display their debate tickets. Being in the debate hall was “surreal,” according to senior Elizabeth Fulmer. “It is such a different feeling to watch a presidential debate live than it is to watch one on TV,” she said. “It was truly amazing.” In addition, 50 students got into the debate when the news organizations they were volunteering for gave them tickets. All tickets received by the University from the Commission on Presidential Debates were given to students.

The extra tickets came in large part through the efforts of Jim Burmeister, executive director of University relations.

Typically, organizations that receive debate tickets have a few no-shows, Burmeister said. When this happens, the tickets are given to the University, which passes them on to students.

“I just kept getting more tickets and calling over to the holding area at the Women’s Building to let them know more students could get in,” Burmeister said. “We were fortunate to get in as many students as we did.”

Burmeister said an additional 50 student volunteers got into the debate when the organizations they were volunteering for gave them tickets.

“It was pretty amazing,” freshman Pamela Ju said. “I got to sit front row center in the upper portion (of the Field House), and it was definitely an experience to be there live.”

All tickets received by the University from the CPD were made available to students via the lottery. Almost 6,000, nearly half the student population, applied for tickets. They did so without knowing how many tickets the CPD would make available.

Sue Hosack, director of the Office of Student Records, said students submitted their names electronically to a debate Web site. The application process closed at noon Oct. 4.

A computer program randomly chose the lottery order, and later that day the 5,873 students who entered the lottery were informed of their statuses via e-mail.

The announcement instructed students with lottery numbers in the top 300 to meet at the Women’s Building at 5 p.m. Oct. 8.

That morning, the CPD made 105 tickets available for distribution to students.

After Stephanie Kurtzman, coordinator of community service and women’s programs, notified the first 100 students from the lottery, a second group of 195 students was selected as alternates.

“My number in the lottery was very good,” said senior Elizabeth Fulmer, who had spot No. 22.

“But then I had to wait the whole week, being cautiously optimistic that the CPD would release enough tickets.”

She described the experience of being in the debate hall as “surreal.”

“It is such a different feeling to watch a presidential debate live than it is to watch one on TV,” she said. “It was truly amazing.”

Even though he was No. 38 on the lottery list, sophomore Matthew Cummock said he wasn’t nervous at all.

“I knew historically that the University normally gets around 100 tickets,” Cummock said, “so I kind of figured I’d get in.”

Even if it was expected, he was thrilled to be in the debate hall. “It was a great experience I’ll never forget,” he said.

For the 2000 presidential debate at WUSTL, 100 students initially received tickets into the debate hall and about another 50 made it in at the last minute. In 1992, fewer than 100 students witnessed the debate live.